Vajra Yoga™: The Wisdom Therapeutics Retreat
August 6 - 9, 2026
Join us for a joyful gathering of wisdom, meditation, and yoga with master teachers of Vajrayoga™, Tibet House US’s school of yoga and yogic inner science, integrating physical, meditative, and philosophical disciplines common to Hatha Yoga and the Indo-Tibetan traditions.
In this retreat participants learn how to bring the benefits of yoga’s body-mind disciplines into all aspects of their lives. Teachings based on the evolutionary principles of enlightenment draw from Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, along with the sutras and tantras of the Buddhist masters. In lectures and practice sessions, participants will enjoy expert instruction in the theory and practice of yoga, and in Menla’s profoundly restful environment will enjoy the opportunity to digest and metabolize these teachings. The result is a profoundly nourishing experiential entry into the shared inner sciences of the Indian and Tibetan wisdom traditions.
Throughout the retreat, legendary scholar-yogi Robert Thurman guides your way to grounding your yoga in wisdom teachings, so that practice becomes a vehicle for uplifting the mind—from stress to joy—while opening the body to vitality, balance, and inner freedom.
Master instructors John and Jamie provide instruction in the transformative methods of Hatha and Tibetan healing yoga, supporting the opening of both the physical body and subtle nervous system. Evenings will conclude with deeply restorative Yoga Nidra vocalization, and visualization, to support integration and rest.
All levels are welcome. Practices will be accessible and adaptable, with modifications offered to support those with injuries or physical limitations.
THIS PAGE IS FOR ONLINE/VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION. TO REGISTER FOR IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
John Campbell
John Campbell is a Dharma and yoga teacher, Mysore yoga school graduate, initiate of senior Tibetan Lamas, and graduate of Columbia University Buddhist Studies. He is a senior Certified teacher in the Ashtanga Yoga lineage of southern India, and a practitioner-teacher of Tibetan internal yogas.
A scholar of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, he received a PhD in Religion from Columbia University, and has been the recipient of numerous scholarly awards for his research on the history of tantric Buddhist yoga systems India. After two decades teaching in academia, he now focuses on translation, regularly collaborating with his mentor Prof. Robert A. F. Thurman key tantric Buddhist works of the Nalanda University tradition from Sanskrit and Tibetan. He serves as a core faculty member with the Vajra Yoga center for the study and practice of Indo-Tibetan yogic sciences based at Tibet House US in New York City. A native New Yorker, he lives in Newburgh, NY with his wife, children, and assorted animal friends.
Jamie Bonelli
Jamie has been practicing yoga for more than 25 years. Before turning to yoga, she worked as an actress, singer, and dancer, with performances on stage, film and television. Her journey as a
teacher began when she sought to share the benefits of yoga with a friend living with MS, leading her to train in Yoga Nidra.
She is among the rare practitioners to have completed the entire original Ashtanga yoga syllabus, studying with David Swenson, Nancy Gilgoff, and Manju Jois. In addition, she has cultivated a deep appreciation for Vedic chanting under the guidance of Shantala Sriramaiah.
Her practice has also been enriched by workshops with Bob Thurman and John Campbell, as well as explorations of Tibetan yoga, experiences that have allowed her to integrate decades of
study into a teaching style rooted in joy and presence.
Jamie is the mother of two daughters and continues to find inspiration in dance.
Robert Thurman
Robert A.F. Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as Co-Founder and President of Tibet House US/Menla in service of HH Dalai Lama & the people of Tibet. A close friend of the Dalai Lama’s for over 50 years, he is a leading world-wide lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, passionate activist for the plight of the Tibetan people, skilled translator of Buddhist texts, and inspiring writer of popular Buddhist books.
In partnership with Nena Thurman and dedicated contributors, he now focuses on making Tibet House US and its Menla Retreat & Spa a global center for the promotion, study and practice of Tibetan Buddhist healing arts and sciences of body, mind, and spirit, dedicated as a complement to the vast life work of its patron, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
To learn more, please visit: www.bobthurman.com.
